VANCOUVER - Miley Cyrus is like a cheap bonbon: A pop artist in a shiny, attention-grabbing wrapper. The candy itself tastes a lot like other cheap sweets found in the pop bin. But the exterior is so gaudy to look at you can't help but notice it standing out from the rest.

It wasn't necessarily the strength of Cyrus' Bangerz that made her become one of the top newsmakers of 2013: It was the foam finger at the MTV Video Music Awards (and essentially crushing Robin Thicke's career); the appropriation of twerking; and the risqué, overtly explicit content of her post-Hannah Montana/Disney years — sex, money, drugs — coalesced into the flick of a pointy tongue and her signature "I don't give a f---" grin.

But as cheap, shiny pop candy is wont to do — especially "dangerous" treats — it sells by the crate load. And also helps to build hype for an album and tour that have been heralded as Miley's big shot at becoming not just an A-list pop superstar (which she arguably is at this point), but the A-list pop name to beat from now on.

So one couldn't help but walk into an essentially sold-out Rogers Arena for the kickoff of the Bangerz tour Friday night (on Valentine's Day, to stay on the candy tip) with a slight feeling of apprehension, and the hope that Miley could show everyone that she is not the player, she is the game itself.

Because that's exactly the point of Miley's latest outing. Like every other pop star before her, Miley is playing the game with absolute pinpoint perfection. Even shock-rocker Alice Cooper, the man who essentially invented the modern theatrical rock concert, wasn't shocked but rather awed by her tactics (or that of her marketing team, not that it makes much of a difference).

Walking into the arena Friday night, it was plain to see that Cyrus' influence is wide: Fans young and old lined the concourse, packed the front of merch tables, with the mid-20s crowd decked in club gear, downing more than their share of bubbly alcoholic beverages. Things were about to get "turnt up" in here, to borrow one of Miley's favourite lines (pun intended).

Speaking of lines, some were indeed blurred.

While the room was adorned with strings of party balloons, the vibe was certainly not children-friendly (and the crowd consisted of many).

It was actually disturbing to see kids and parents clutching posters of Cyrus sporting an essentially crotchless unitard or wearing T-shirts showing her making out with herself in a mirror. There were also inflatable bananas on sale (we'll let you figure that one out yourself).

The evolution of pop? Female empowerment? Mindless fun? Please.

Capitalism at work.

===

CLICK HERE to view more images from the concert, or if using a handheld device, tap the photograph above and swipe.

===

But on with the show, right?

Swedish duo Icona Pop had the task of setting up the stage, something they did rather well, working up the crowd with their big hit I Love It, one of the best club tunes of the past year that had everyone in the room jumping.

If Miley can be commended for one thing, it's starting on time. Unlike others that shall remain nameless, Miley took the stage at the stroke of the scheduled 8:30 p.m.

The creepy cartoon vibe was in full effect, with furry mascots dancing on the stage, Cyrus sliding down an inflatable tongue protruding from her face projected on the giant LCD screen at the back of the square shaped stage.

Clad in a red and white cowboy cabaret style outfit, Miley "strutted her stuff" for SMS before switching to countrified Southern rap of 4X4.

If you weren't sure this show wasn't designed for kids, you just had to spot the "Parental Advisory Explicit Content" logo displayed during the bling-heavy Love Money Party, a song where Cyrus was twerking atop a gold-plated SUV, adorned in a sequined, marijuana-themed unitard.

That said, the feeling was one of self-aware goofiness rather than true shock.

During My Darlin', a trip-hop laced re-invention of Stand By Me, the screen was filled with everything from drug paraphernalia to sex toys, all delivered in cartoonish, lo-fi computer graphics.

And then there was the plain weird stuff: FU, where Cyrus brought at giant Sesame Street style prop and a background filled with psychedelic mushrooms, and Do My Thang, a kaleidoscopic, crotch-grabbing tune that felt like watching a rebellious teenager's Tumblr account come to life.

Musically, little to complain about early on. A solid seven-piece backing band, plenty of tape playback (for samples and guest rap parts) and Cyrus belting her vocals seemingly without the help of pre-recorded material.

Logistically, a well-oiled machine with many moving parts including, at one point, a giant inflatable husky with glowing eyes.

Of course, it being Valentine's Day, Cyrus' performance of Adore You felt especially appropriate, showing a number of couples of all kinda kissing and making out.

If you were still wondering if Cyrus was singing everything herself, this is where weaknesses started to appear. Drive, one requiring Cyrus to really push, showed her faltering in the low parts, while Rooting For My Baby and a jangly acoustic cover of OutKast's Hey Ya veered dangerously close to Stevie Nicks territory (and not good days Stevie Nicks).

Then again, give her Dolly Parton's Jolene and the girl can probably nail it in her sleep. She did Friday night.

Ironically, in spite of all the shock-and-horror (not) of seeing Miley ride an oversized hot dog while clad in a feathery mustard yellow costume, Cyrus' Disney roots are still showing.

The spectacle of the Bangerz tour is essentially a bad trip version of the Disney experience, a seedy underbelly vision of what Disney really sells children.

But here, rather than conveying anything meaningful, it's an amusement park where Miley gets to go on all the rides while everybody else watches her weird trip. And it's rarely really engaging or all that provocative.

We Can't Stop? A youthful call to arms made completely pointless with the foam finger props and a silly kitten animation.

Wrecking Ball? An off-key cherry on top that felt like a missed opportunity.